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TRAGIC: Jane and Stephen Blockley.
‘Death of child is most crippling cost to pay’
Adam Derbyshire7/ 6/2006
TRAGIC Leo Blockley's mum and dad are meeting sports minister Richard Caborn today (Thursday) to demand action over rowing safety.
They claim the Amateur Rowing Association (ARA) are "dragging their heels" despite several life-saving recommendations from coroner John Pollard.
Ashton MP David Heyes is taking the couple to Westminster after he raised the issue during a Commons debate.
He criticised the ARA for persisting with their "light-touch, amateurish" approach in the face of "strong and clear messages from coroners."
Leo, an Oxford maths post-graduate, died in 2000 during a training trip near Barcelona with the university's lightweight rowing club.
The 21 year old, a former student of Hartshead High and Ashton Sixth Form, died when waves swamped his boat and he was swept away.
His parents Jane and Stephen won the right for a second inquest last year after new evidence came to light that the head coach Leila Hudson had been hung over on the morning of the tragedy.
Coroner John Pollard dismissed earlier claims Leo had himself been to blame for breaking the ARA's 'stay with the boat' rule after it was established its water safety code did not contain any such advice.
He also echoed the family's pleas for all rowing boats to have in-built buoyancy - a condition adopted by the international rowing federation FISA but not yet by the ARA.
Gary Harris, ARA chairman, said retro-fitting of buoyancy would present clubs with "potentially crippling" costs
But after investigating, Mr Heyes found it would cost from £100 up to £500 for a "bells and whistles" option.
"When set against loss of life I cannot accept the argument that those are crippling costs. Surely there is no more crippling price to pay than the death of a child," he said.
Mum Dr Jane Blockley, of Lees Road, Ashton, said: "Mr Pollard wrote to the ARA hoping to see a willingness to change. Instead they took a defiant stand and dismissed many of the recommendations out of hand. They are dragging their heels and it is clear they do not intend to make any significant changes. It could be somebody else's child next time.
"The ARA is funded by Sport England and it must ensure it fulfils safety criteria."
Most recent 2 of 2 user comments
I say, well done.
Will King Piedmont, California USA
9/06/2006 at 02:26
Got an opinion you want to share?Do you support council workers who have gone on strike over a below-inflation pay offer?
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